Archive for July, 2010
Apple’s mystery 1.2″ touchscreen device
Jul 10th
Taiwanese site Apple.pro has unearthed a tiny touchscreen with Apple markings. The panel measures a minuscule 3 cm (1.18″) diagonally- the fact that it’s touch sensitive is interesting given how tiny any touchable items would be on screen. This could be anything, but if we had to guess, it might be the next-generation iPod Nano, with touch gestures to switch songs and the like. Or maybe it’s a new device altogether.
One more photo after the break.
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Spied: 2011 Mercedes C-Class Coupe
Jul 10th
Mercedes looks to be putting the final touches on a new coupe version of its C-Class sedan. The company recently discontinued the CLC, a version of the last-generation C-Class hatchback facelifted to look like the current C-Class, and is only now making a proper coupe from the current sedan.
Interestingly, the E-Class Coupe actually rides on the C-Class platform (despite styling cues, features, and engines from the E sedan), so it looks like Mercedes shortened the C Coupe a bit to differentiate it. Pricing is unconfirmed, but we suspect it’ll be set slightly higher than the C sedan. Cabriolet and AMG variants are also on the way.
More photos after the break.
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Bigfoot monster truck defects to Chevy after 35 years
Jul 8th
In a shocking move, Bigfoot – the most famous monster truck – has switched from Ford to Chevy. After 35 years in the blue oval camp, the big truck now wears a Chevy Silverado-style skin and has a new GM engine. Apparently Ford stopped sponsoring the team in 2007, leaving Firestone as the primary sponsor. Firestone’s investing heavily in marketing for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, and since GM is too, it must’ve been a convenient time to switch and gain some sponsorship funds.
One more photo and full press release after the break.
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Eye telescope implant gains FDA approval
Jul 8th
The FDA just approved a tiny implantable telescope meant to assist patients over 75 years old who suffer from end-stage macular degeneration. In a clinical trial with over 200 patients, seventy-five percent of patients with the implant “had their vision improve from severe or profound impairment to moderate impairment.” The manufacturer, VisionCare Opthalmic Technologies, is planning a follow-up study with these patients, along with another one involving 770 new patients.
The device replaces the eye’s natural lens and provides a magnified image (the two available versions offer 2.2x or 2.7x zoom), which is then projected onto a healthy part of the patient’s retina. The implant can only be used in one eye, as the other eye is needed for peripheral vision. Since the brain has to adjust to the implant’s image, patients must go through rehabilitation for the telescope to work. The FDA warns the treatment is still risky and could even necessitate a corneal transplant.
VisionCare says each implant will cost $15,000, so start saving up.
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Microsoft Kills Kin
Jul 2nd
Microsoft has killed its Kin social phone line just a few weeks after it launched. Gizmodo reports that the company has merged the whole Kin team into the Windows Phone 7 team. Rumors suggest that a mere 500 Kins have been sold to date, and while the figure’s probably higher than that, it might explain such a large project being folded so suddenly.
Kin was accompanied by some strange advertising, but the biggest problem was that Verizon only offered Kin phones with its $30 monthly smartphone data plan. Kin was supposed to be a cheaper, social-oriented alternative to a smartphone, but without a cheaper data plan, it became almost pointless. Even drastic price cuts to just $20/$50 for the Kin One/Two (from $50/100) didn’t help, and Microsoft’s ads promoting Kin as a Windows Phone just caused further confusion.
Read on for the full story behind Kin’s demise.
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